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Editorial

New law has teeth

Measure seeks to improve security for people and for wild animals

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Monday December 30, 2013 6:00 AM

It has been much-discussed, debated and has survived a court challenge. On Wednesday, Ohio’s
strict exotic-animal law will take full effect.

It’s an overdue step to ensure the safety of Ohioans and also to protect the alligators, big
cats, bears, venomous snakes and the like that some residents around the state have been keeping as
pets. So far, nearly 900 exotic animals have been registered by 150 private owners and zoos in
Ohio; under the new law, all owners must register their animals by Wednesday or face seizure of
their animals by the state. No one knows how many owners still might be out there who haven’t
signed up, either out of defiance or because they are uninformed.

Ohio’s lax laws governing these potentially dangerous animals were put in a spotlight two years
ago when Terry W. Thompson released nearly 50 exotic animals he was keeping on his farm near
Zanesville before committing suicide. Even before that, activists had lobbied for tougher laws;
Ohio has had among the most-lax regulations in the country when it comes to exotic-animal
ownership.

The law enacted last year bans private owners from acquiring, selling and breeding restricted
species; the list includes lions, tigers, bears, certain monkeys, alligators, crocodiles, anacondas
and pythons longer than 12 feet and all venomous snakes. Owners who register and meet cage and care
standards may keep their animals for the rest of their lives, but cannot breed them or buy new
ones. They must pay a fee based on the number of animals and obtain liability insurance or a surety
bond of $200,000 to $1 million. All of these requirements are in line with regulations in many
other states.

A year ago, a federal judge upheld a challenge to the law by exotic-animal owners. Judge George
C. Smith of the Southern District of Ohio got it right when he said that while the plaintiffs might
be responsible owners, “there are some that are not.” Smith said government routinely places
restrictions on behavior in the interest of the greater good, and the exotic-animal law is a case
where the state must weigh individual rights against the security of others.

The Terry W. Thompson incident, which received international attention, was extremely unusual,
but illustrated the very real dangers of not adequately regulating dangerous wild animals. Thompson
arguably wasn’t hurting or endangering anyone, until, apparently distraught, he uncaged his 48
animals and shot himself.

Law enforcement was called in, and had to make the heartbreaking decision to shoot and kill
dozens of wild animals.

Photographs of dead tigers and other big cats were taken by eyewitnesses and circulated around
the world, illustrating the great cruelty to animals that Thompson brought on, in addition to the
great danger to humans he caused.

And wild animals are just that: wild animals, not domesticated pets. Even those raised by the
most experienced handlers have been known to attack without warning.

Owners put family, neighbors and even themselves in potential danger by choosing to keep these
animals.

It’s only common sense on the part of the state to require registration, standards of care and
liability insurance for these animals, and to restrict the further spread of wild-animal ownership
in Ohio.